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The Pagans Trilogy #3
The Earth Goddess
Centers on the adventures of Pauol, the rightful inheritor of the Valdoe domain, who, ignorant of his parentage, is sold into the priesthood
262 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 15, 1984
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64 people want to read
About the author
Richard Herley
23 books43 followersI was born in England in 1950 and educated at Watford Boys’ Grammar School and Sussex University, where my interest in natural history led me to read biology; but from my earliest years English had been my “best” subject, and shortly before my final exams I decided to try to become a professional writer. The job of the artist – in whichever medium he or she works – is an important one, since, conscientiously practised, it helps us to make sense of ourselves and the world.
Authorship is not an easy path to follow. I continue to work at the craft and marvel at its subtlety. I prefer a conventional storytelling framework. This offers the greatest potential for the writer: a reader who wants to know “what happens next” is the most receptive and stands to gain the most of all.
Authorship is not an easy path to follow. I continue to work at the craft and marvel at its subtlety. I prefer a conventional storytelling framework. This offers the greatest potential for the writer: a reader who wants to know “what happens next” is the most receptive and stands to gain the most of all.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 26, 2011
Well, that was rather unexpected.
The first two books in the Pagans trilogy, The Stone Arrow and The Flint Lord, are definitely two of a kind: action-oriented rather than introspective; cinematically violent; atmospheric yet fast-moving. I knocked each of them out in a day or two, and enjoyed them very much. In beginning The Earth Goddess, I expected more of the same, and would have been happy with it. What I got instead was something altogether different, surprising, and in the end rewarding. Where the second book in the trilogy is more or less a direct sequel to the first, this book quickly serves notice that that will not be the case here. The story wastes no time in breaking some major ties to the first two books, sweeping the reader to a different place, full of different people and a very different culture - seeing the agrarian vs. hunter/gatherer conflict of the first two books from the other side.
The book takes more apparent liberties with historical speculation than its predecessors. Set largely within the elite, secretive priesthood of the titular Earth Goddess, it was actually easy to forget that I was reading a novel set in a real, historical time and place. The priesthood's ethos is sometimes reminiscent of Buddhism, other times of some medieval monastic order, other times utterly unique, and surprisingly sophisticated, especially compared to the protagonists of the first two books.
All in all, this was a great wrap-up to The Pagans. The central theme of the series (i.e, the agricultural revolution and its far-reaching effects on human civilization) was well-served by the change in point of view, as well as the gentler (though still plenty violent), more character- and intrigue-driven feel of The Earth Goddess. A fine read in its own right, and a worthy close to this unique trilogy.
The first two books in the Pagans trilogy, The Stone Arrow and The Flint Lord, are definitely two of a kind: action-oriented rather than introspective; cinematically violent; atmospheric yet fast-moving. I knocked each of them out in a day or two, and enjoyed them very much. In beginning The Earth Goddess, I expected more of the same, and would have been happy with it. What I got instead was something altogether different, surprising, and in the end rewarding. Where the second book in the trilogy is more or less a direct sequel to the first, this book quickly serves notice that that will not be the case here. The story wastes no time in breaking some major ties to the first two books, sweeping the reader to a different place, full of different people and a very different culture - seeing the agrarian vs. hunter/gatherer conflict of the first two books from the other side.
The book takes more apparent liberties with historical speculation than its predecessors. Set largely within the elite, secretive priesthood of the titular Earth Goddess, it was actually easy to forget that I was reading a novel set in a real, historical time and place. The priesthood's ethos is sometimes reminiscent of Buddhism, other times of some medieval monastic order, other times utterly unique, and surprisingly sophisticated, especially compared to the protagonists of the first two books.
All in all, this was a great wrap-up to The Pagans. The central theme of the series (i.e, the agricultural revolution and its far-reaching effects on human civilization) was well-served by the change in point of view, as well as the gentler (though still plenty violent), more character- and intrigue-driven feel of The Earth Goddess. A fine read in its own right, and a worthy close to this unique trilogy.
August 3, 2023
I thought the first book in the trilogy was brilliant, the second good, and this third one above average.
The story opens in a similar vein to the previous novels, featuring nomads and villagers, but it soon shifts towards the world of priests and theology.
Paoul, the main character, is likable enough, as are several others, like his love interest Yseld. Their uncertain relationship is my favourite element in the story.
On the most part, though, I had difficulty liking the plot. We have a long and detailed section about the priests’ teachings, which is beyond boring. I ended up skipping over this lengthy part, as I did several paragraphs here and there that amount to nothing of interest, which do little to move the story forwards.
Another reviewer comments that the story loses the feel of being in the Stone Age once Paoul is deep among his studies, and that it feels more like science fiction or a fantasy novel. I agree with this assessment. It loses the authenticity of the first two books and the early chapters of this one.
All three novels in the trilogy feature too much static detail, such as lists and lengthy descriptions. Certain characters are over-described, too, which ironically makes them less vivid than if you give them one or two features when they’re introduced. It’s much more effective to filter in a character’s appearance, ideally through action, rather than bombarding the reader with seven or eight adjectives in a static description, which is harder to remember.
We also have numerous instances of ‘telling’ instead of ‘showing’. To state that ‘General Teshe was plainly stunned’ is blatant telling. Another character is described as ‘waiting nervously’. Why not show his nervousness? What did the general do that made it plain he was stunned? This sort of approach gives the reader dry information, not vivid images.
‘The Earth Goddess’ would’ve benefitted from more dialogue. The author is good at writing realistic dialogue, so it’s a shame he didn’t include more to break up those long sections of third-person narration.
The closing pages would certainly have benefitted from more dialogue and action. Without giving anything away, the ending is largely a summary, comprised of Paoul musing on what will happen and then hearing what has happened, followed by a bland account of what follows. None of this is dramatized, leaving the reader (this one, at least), bitterly disappointed with the conclusion.
Not only I am disappointed with the ending stylistically, the main characters’ outcomes are also dissatisfying. This would’ve been easier to accept if what happened was made exciting or frightening or suspenseful, creating gripping drama, but no. It left me feeling cheated. I can accept sad ending, happy endings, tragic endings, open endings, not getting the ending I want, etc., but not an ending that fades, leaving a bland impression and me thinking, 'Is that it?'
On the positive side, I wouldn't feel cheated if I didn't care about the characters, so the author did a good job in evoking my sympathies.
Like with Book Two in the trilogy, ‘The Earth Goddess’ has its good moments, but it also has a lot of missed potential.
The story opens in a similar vein to the previous novels, featuring nomads and villagers, but it soon shifts towards the world of priests and theology.
Paoul, the main character, is likable enough, as are several others, like his love interest Yseld. Their uncertain relationship is my favourite element in the story.
On the most part, though, I had difficulty liking the plot. We have a long and detailed section about the priests’ teachings, which is beyond boring. I ended up skipping over this lengthy part, as I did several paragraphs here and there that amount to nothing of interest, which do little to move the story forwards.
Another reviewer comments that the story loses the feel of being in the Stone Age once Paoul is deep among his studies, and that it feels more like science fiction or a fantasy novel. I agree with this assessment. It loses the authenticity of the first two books and the early chapters of this one.
All three novels in the trilogy feature too much static detail, such as lists and lengthy descriptions. Certain characters are over-described, too, which ironically makes them less vivid than if you give them one or two features when they’re introduced. It’s much more effective to filter in a character’s appearance, ideally through action, rather than bombarding the reader with seven or eight adjectives in a static description, which is harder to remember.
We also have numerous instances of ‘telling’ instead of ‘showing’. To state that ‘General Teshe was plainly stunned’ is blatant telling. Another character is described as ‘waiting nervously’. Why not show his nervousness? What did the general do that made it plain he was stunned? This sort of approach gives the reader dry information, not vivid images.
‘The Earth Goddess’ would’ve benefitted from more dialogue. The author is good at writing realistic dialogue, so it’s a shame he didn’t include more to break up those long sections of third-person narration.
The closing pages would certainly have benefitted from more dialogue and action. Without giving anything away, the ending is largely a summary, comprised of Paoul musing on what will happen and then hearing what has happened, followed by a bland account of what follows. None of this is dramatized, leaving the reader (this one, at least), bitterly disappointed with the conclusion.
Not only I am disappointed with the ending stylistically, the main characters’ outcomes are also dissatisfying. This would’ve been easier to accept if what happened was made exciting or frightening or suspenseful, creating gripping drama, but no. It left me feeling cheated. I can accept sad ending, happy endings, tragic endings, open endings, not getting the ending I want, etc., but not an ending that fades, leaving a bland impression and me thinking, 'Is that it?'
On the positive side, I wouldn't feel cheated if I didn't care about the characters, so the author did a good job in evoking my sympathies.
Like with Book Two in the trilogy, ‘The Earth Goddess’ has its good moments, but it also has a lot of missed potential.
April 15, 2023
I think the series got worse. 5 stars for book 1. 4 stars for book 2 and 3.5 stars for this one but I have to downgrade to 3 stars. Spoilers ahead.
Tagart dies and this book focuses on Paoul, who is in reality the son of Lord Flint and the heir to Brennis. The nomads are forced to do menial work for the farmers in order to survive due to poor weather. However the farmers decide to kill the nomads instead of pay them for their last job and take Paoul, who's supposed to be extra good looking.
Meanwhile a tithe inspector comes along and decides to take Paoul back to the main town and he gives Paoul to the red priests to train because he also sees something in him. The red priests evaluate him and decide they want him to be in the priesthood. The rest of the story is of Paoul training to become a priest and rising in the hierarchy. There is also a romance. The book ends abruptly, as if it was too long already. This could have been a longer series but for some reason the author decided to give it an ending so that it would not continue.
One thing I didn't like was there was a long bit about the workings of the red priest, their ethos and their hierarchy. I quick read through all that mumbo jumbo and didn't miss that at all. It was irrelevant really to the rest of the book to a large extent.
The second thing I didn't like was how a big part of the plot became philosophy. How Paoul decided that the status quo was not good but evil and everyone were just slaves in one form or another under the ruling class. I mean ho-hum, true or not, after spending a lot of time on this the author just let it all peter out. He made it seem like a big thing, then it wasn't.
Lastly, any connection to the stone age was gone. This could pretty much have been a sci-fi book and this taking place on Venus as far as the story went. The whole priesthood and ruling class had made up names and is pretty much fantasy as far as I can tell in a historical sense.
The author is still a good storyteller but I think he let the plot run away. The story has nothing to do with the Earth Goddess or Pagans. Too bad because book 1 had good potential.
Tagart dies and this book focuses on Paoul, who is in reality the son of Lord Flint and the heir to Brennis. The nomads are forced to do menial work for the farmers in order to survive due to poor weather. However the farmers decide to kill the nomads instead of pay them for their last job and take Paoul, who's supposed to be extra good looking.
Meanwhile a tithe inspector comes along and decides to take Paoul back to the main town and he gives Paoul to the red priests to train because he also sees something in him. The red priests evaluate him and decide they want him to be in the priesthood. The rest of the story is of Paoul training to become a priest and rising in the hierarchy. There is also a romance. The book ends abruptly, as if it was too long already. This could have been a longer series but for some reason the author decided to give it an ending so that it would not continue.
One thing I didn't like was there was a long bit about the workings of the red priest, their ethos and their hierarchy. I quick read through all that mumbo jumbo and didn't miss that at all. It was irrelevant really to the rest of the book to a large extent.
The second thing I didn't like was how a big part of the plot became philosophy. How Paoul decided that the status quo was not good but evil and everyone were just slaves in one form or another under the ruling class. I mean ho-hum, true or not, after spending a lot of time on this the author just let it all peter out. He made it seem like a big thing, then it wasn't.
Lastly, any connection to the stone age was gone. This could pretty much have been a sci-fi book and this taking place on Venus as far as the story went. The whole priesthood and ruling class had made up names and is pretty much fantasy as far as I can tell in a historical sense.
The author is still a good storyteller but I think he let the plot run away. The story has nothing to do with the Earth Goddess or Pagans. Too bad because book 1 had good potential.
November 18, 2020
The third book in the pagans trilogy. It starts with Tagert, who we saw in the first two, and then the narrative moves to his son, and how his life goes in the land of ancient Britain and Europe (no Brexit there!)
As usual, Richard Herley tells a good story, his narrative is very evocative, but my usual issues are there, a little too over descriptive, and not enough dialogue. Most of the time though, it works, although once it got into the theology explanation, I skipped a bit.
Overall though, a good story, with perhaps a too sudden an ending. There was definitely scope for a continuation of the story, maybe Paoul will return.
As usual, Richard Herley tells a good story, his narrative is very evocative, but my usual issues are there, a little too over descriptive, and not enough dialogue. Most of the time though, it works, although once it got into the theology explanation, I skipped a bit.
Overall though, a good story, with perhaps a too sudden an ending. There was definitely scope for a continuation of the story, maybe Paoul will return.
July 26, 2019
The last of the Pagans trilogy, and my favorite of the three novels. One of those rare books where you can follow the protagonist from childhood to maturity. Beautifully written, as is true of all of Herley's books.
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June 6, 201355
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March 21, 2016Tagart's "son", the 6th Lord Brennis, becomes a Red Priest and destroys the empire from within.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews